Care requirements? Uh... well... everyone else had the technical stuff down, right? Dima didn't know much about dangerous plants or how to take care of them, so he was sort of counting on his classmates to give him helpful information in that area.

But, y'know, class participation and all. Woohoo!

"Be nice to them." Nod. "Make sure you give them lots of love n'stuff and motivate 'em, because nothing grows without that."

Leon gulped down a yelp. His anxiety about carnivorous plants was building up.

He raised his slightly quivering hand and with a choked back scream said, "Professor, Perhaps a cage. Like with tomatoes.. to contain them. Keep them caged!"

The last bit was more a demand than a suggestion. He took a few deep breathes and continued scribbling down what notes he considered important. Some of the answers the others gave would probably give him nightmares.

Gaze set on the plants, Beverly tilted her head slightly to the side. She hoped, hoped some idiot would go close enough and they'd get a show. Liven up the lesson a bit, you know? Unfortunately, no one wanted to get too close. Switching her gaze back at professor Bentley, she raised her hand.

"Would the usual plant care apply to these? Like the sun light amount, fertilizer, watering, soil and pruning?"

Yeah, yeah. Or witches or wizards? Cutty was curious about how she went about doing this and still maintained her career at Hogwarts. That was some s t e a l t h right there! And he figured that if his Herbology teacher could get away with all of that on top of having left a ghost behind to tell the tale of how she was murdered, he could only benefit from her knowledge. She was obviously a Gee.




Cutty looked oddly at peace for being surrounded by fanged, flesh-eating, Rate 6, dangerous plants. He was thinking about Professor Bentley's fabulous mind. He raised his hand, showing that the gloves were slowly starting to fit, year by year, "Wouldn't you need to make certain that they get all the flesh they could eat, then? You know to kind of satiate that part of their diet so they don't try to eat ...you?" Not unlike marine life keepers do at Aquariums. "Or can they be satiated that way? Will they keep on eating no matter what you've fed them?" What if they even ate during rest periods, being deciduous plants.

Ooohhh and look at all those hands! This was exciting... and on top of that, she was curious to see how they fared in general as well as in relation to these fine beauties before them.



"Pruning, yes!" Seren replied beaming. "Flesh eaters don't require as much, they tend to self regulate their limbs, but certainly on occasion they could do with a tidy up."



It seemed as though the Ravenclaw girls were on the ball, and most certainly in relation to flesh eaters. "Absolutely, space is vital for these plants, the only exception being such as now when they're so well looked after and maintained in a confined space, they don't need to compete for space and with regard to space, prey." Because that's what space was all about, luring in the prey and hunting its food source.



A generic requirement if any, but it wasn't wrong. Seren nodded in response to Lux's answer. "Of course, particularly if the plants are kept in captivity and sheltered from the rain."



Sunlight! Didn't everyone just feel so much better when the sun was out and shining... unlike what they would be experiencing from now on. "Indeed, sunlight is still important... for some varieties, not necessarily for all," she nodded. The Hufflepuff girl was a dear, so cute with her photography. "Photosynthesis," Seren corrected for her, "and certainly flesh eaters don't often receive all the nutrients they need from their food."



And now this was an interesting point, such capable young men... though Bay's answer was lacking conviction. "You're on the right track Bay," she encouraged with a small smile before turning to the Ravenclaw... former Captain. "That's certainly an important consideration, perhaps more so for those that rely on their root systems as predators, you'll want to select your soil so that it's not too compact and doesn't inhibit them from behaving normally."



Damp? ......... Did she just say damp? While the response was only in part correct - considering the two specimens didn't require such conditions specifically - it was in fact correct for many flesh eaters in general. "You'll find a large number of flesh eaters prefer the damp, yes, not necessarily these, though they wouldn't be hindered by it either."



....

........ Idiots?

Seren considered this for a moment, a finger on her chin and her lips pursed as she thought. Idiots. "I suppose you're right... but that's more a preventative measure for anti-care." Still, she'd pay it. The Prefect received a nod.



Considering a duo of Ravenclaw girls had impressed her with their reponses earlier, Seren was hoping that the duo of Gryffindors would too... and so she looked to Kevin and Zander as they both provided their answers. She nodded, agreeing... "Sun, water, yes ... though some are rather sensitive to it whilst others are quite hardy and self-serving," she mused. Of course, it didn't come as a surprise to her that Kevin had questions, he was rather loud... but appreciatively so. "They do eat flesh," she confirmed with a nod... adding a wink. He ought to wait and see the demonstration!



Oh Merlin. Sweet sweet mother of Merlin.

Seren gave the boy a sympathetic look, had he been off with the fairies this whole time? Or was he just struggling to keep up? ...

"The berries aren't poisonous dear, and plants don't often wear gloves. Though you're quite right, WE do need gloves to protect ourselves." At least he understood that much.



And now would you listen to that? Dental care! The boy was onto something, onto something, though not quite there. "Dental hygiene is so very important, not only for us but certainly for plants too," she agreed with many nods. "Flesh eaters in captivity require dental care, those in the wild, not so much. This is largely due to them accessing more foodstuffs in captivity and the type of food they are usually provided don't have the means to help them regulate flossing." Hairs and reeds and the like.



Benjamin's response was fairly straight forward, and got a nod, Aditya's elaboration also received a nod and a slight wobble on the head. "Yes and no," she added. And then Sophie hit the nail on the head, again. Was it just her, or was the Ravenclaw simply blooming today? "Of course, so those kept in captivity generally benefit from a sprinkling or two of dragon dung fertiliser annually," she confirmed.



The interesting answers kept on coming, and her young Lioness didn't disappoint. Keep animals away from them? ....

"Eeeerr...." she started, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "It would depend on the animal perhaps," she mused before elaborating on the point. "See, if it's a pet, then by all means keep it away, if it's an animal that could harm the plant, then by all means keep that one away too... but otherwise, well, the plant needs to eat too." It was the circle of life thing, and as hard as it was condoning the death and murder of otherwise innocent animals, the plants life was - in her eyes - more valuable.



Feed it with something? Seren chuckled, "That's generally the idea," she replied, shaking her head in amusement at the non-answer.



Such considerate little Claws they were, were they not?

Seren beamed, her features enough to express her delight in their answers. "Of course, you're both correct," she agreed out loud. Particularly appreciating Kyroh's example. He was a sweet boy.



Was it just her? Or did this Hufflepuff seem a tad nervous about the bushes? Or was it flesh eaters in general?... It saddened her that so many students were frightened of them, and though they were well within their right to be wary of the plants, they were just that, plants... darling, gorgeous, innocent and natural little!big things.

Seren offered her a soft smile, hoping it would soothe the girl somewhat. "Those work... but there's not much harm that can come to one by staying close - depending on the flesh eater of course." She wasn't about to advise them to rub up against and make friends with an Ogreous Oak. That would be laughable.



... ..... As her gaze swept over the gathering of students, Seren had to wonder if they were all coping with being in here. Particularly the quiet ones. Like Agatha.

"Are you alright dear?" she asked, just to make sure. She was still breathing yes? Still in this world?



This boy. Why was he a Claw and not a Lion?! She wanted him in her nest! ...... "I couldn't have said it better myself," she replied, her expression quire serious but more out of awe with the child.



...................................

.....

Okay, there was no mistaking it. This one was petrified. Completely and utterly petrified. Perhaps he ought to be the first one to feed a fleshy today. Hhmm? Yes? That would show him they're harmless.

But no, she wouldn't force him to do anything against his will, that's how accidents happen. One second you're holding out a rat carcass and then next minute you freak and end up losing a hand too.

"Would you like to be kept in a cage?" she asked rhetorically. Plants were not for cages. Ahem.



And if that wasn't an all encompassing response then she didn't know what was.

...

"Yes and no," she started, her lips forming a thin line before continuing. "Some require more care than others, but for the most part they are rather independent and most certainly not like a usual plant." Very different. Very special.



Caleb was perhaps rather blunt with his consideration, "Yes, flesh eaters ought to have a diet consisting of meat..." that was rather essential, and this was confirmed by Marigold too. It was Grayson who seemed to build on that idea quite well. "Absolutely, because they're kept confined, ensuring they have access to prey is essential."



If she didn't know better she'd have assumed he was as fearful of the plants as the other young Slytherin boy... but no, Cutty seemed all too confident with his words to be scared. She was convinced of this.

"By all means, feed until they're satiated and they won't be as likely to want to snack on you - depending on its size and temperament." Some were easier to befriend than others, so it was by no means a blanket policy. "But it's best not to give them indigestion."

"Flesh eaters in captivity are more likely to be conscious of routine, so regular but moderated feeding is advised."


And speaking of...

It was about time to get things moving. Moving along quite nicely.

"The Weigela and Chokeberry are both rather low maintenance, so long as they have access to food. Their predatory instincts are all that is required for them to manage in a garden quite comfortable, but when grown in greenhouses we need to be a bit more accommodating with the food." Because it wasn't as if birds and garden gnomes would get in here very often. Nope.

With a quick gaze around the space and the area they were in, Seren was able to do a head count and some quick mathematics told her all she needed to know.

"Fortunately for us, we've come in time for feeding!" she announced brightly, though waiting to see the reactions of the others... or actually, best not, "but before you start worrying, the more dangerous plants in this greenhouse have already been fed and their meat has been laced with a sedation draught so they won't post a threat to either of you." No... there was just the lesser man-eating ones that might try to take a nibble. But they could handle that, they had gloves on.

"First things first, meat!" she announced, taking a few strides to one of the raised flower beds and pulling out what looked to be an ordinary trunk. A few brisk wand movements later, and the opening of the lid revealed dead rats, steak cuttings and offal. The smell wasn't particularly nice, but it could be overlooked. "Come and take a bit, and offer it up to any of the shrubs and plants in this section only," she noted, indicating the immediate area they were in. "Levitate the meat to it, or throw it, unless you're comfortable risking your hand..." which she didn't advise, because she rather liked her job and would hate for it to be taken from her. "The fanged geraniums, savage sword lilies, pygmy piranha plants, throat latching carnations and barbaric banksia also need a good feed... though you'll need to serve them smaller portions."

Taking a couple of chunks of offal for herself and stepping away from the trunk of meat bits, Seren indicated they could have at it too. "There's no need to be afraid if you don't get too close, and even then, the bushes are what will hurt, the others will only puncture you at best."

OOC: The lesson will continue in 28-39 hours depending on people posting. Have fun with this, tis an experience. Any questions don't hesitate to ask.

Comfortable risking your hand... If that wasn't an invitation to Benjy, he didn't know what was. Sure, he might start small, and levitate or throw the meat - but he'd now be extremely disappointed if he didn't get to feed at least one plant by hand today.

The only real problem here was the smell of that meat. He wrinkled his nose as he got closer to the trunk of it, extremely glad for the gloves on his hands. Yummy, dead rats and offal.

He picked a rat up by its tail, and held it at arms length. Now, who to feed?

Wow, wow, wow. So far all of her lessons had been SO much fun! Who would have thought that she was actually on the right track with the whole plant having teeth thing? AJ hung on to every word and her eyes brightened a bit when the professor downplayed the seriousness of some of the plants. You didn't have to tell her to not risk her hand. Considering that she had no idea how to levitate she decided that the best approach would be to throw it.

Whew. The smell was bad, but she could deal with it in return for a good time. She walked over to the professor and got the goods. Now, her only decision was who was she going to feel first. Hopefully she would have time to feed every one.

Leah gulped. Now was the feeding time. It sounded fun, but thinking about what the professor had said before the lesson about losing a limb still echoed in her brain. She was a bit reassured at hearing that the dangerous plants were already well-fed. Coming to think of it, getting eaten by a plant sounded quite interesting too.

What was that smell? Eww, rat meat. They were actually going to pick that up and feed it too the plants. At least they had gloves on. Silently thanking the professor over and over again, Leah went forward and grabbed a small piece of meat, not looking at it, and walked back.

They were going to feed the plants! What fun! Except for the odor emitting from the meat. Adi wrinkled his nose. Kind of disgusting but cool at the same time. So, he was going for a rat first. Yep. The third year grabbed one by its tail and randomly threw it to one of the plants. Throwing stuff was more fun that's why he went for that.

And apparently AJ seemed to think the same. "Having fun?'' Adi asked as he playfully dangled another rat in front of her. Hehe.

Right again?! Maddie was practically a Herbology EXPERT! The small brunette tried not to look TOO pleased with herself, though. There was still LOADS to learn.

What was THAT? Brown eyes narrowed slightly as Professor Bentley pulled out a trunk. When it was open, the smell hit Maddie's nostrils and she wrinkled her nose. Y-to the-UCK. She wasn't a FAN of dead things but this WAS for some of the coolest plants around so she'd deal. BESIDES, she wasn't going to let on that she was squeamish about this. She was TOUGH. MHM!

Noting that Benjy had gone and gotten a dead rat, Maddie did the same. She inched closed to the trunk and tried to ignore the awful smell as she reached in with gloved hand. Her expression remained neutral but on the inside she WAS freaking out a little. How had Benjy been holding it? The first year looked around for him and noted that he had the thing by the tail so she did that TOO. Then she wandered off in search of the perfect hungry plant.

Hearing the voice of her Hufflepuff buddy, AJ gave him a smile. "You betcha! Is Hogwarts always this fun?" Because she could get used to this. She laughed as he dangled the rat in front of hers. Looking down at her pile, she picked up the biggest one she had. "I think mine is bigger." she said as she let that rat swing back and forth in front of Adi's face. AJ was not going to get grossed out.

Liking that Adi just threw his wherever she decided to follow suit. Still holding the rat by it's tail she swung him round and round like a lasso and swung it directly into one of the awaiting mouths. "Awesome." She turned to Adi once more. "Levitating sounds cool, but I think throwing it would be more fun even if I did know the magical way." Adi seemed to think so as well considering she was sure that he knew the spell and chose to throw the rat anyways.

Adi grinned. "Hogwarts is always this fun,'' he replied. He was pleased AJ was enjoying herself and he wondered if her sisters were having just as much fun. He now laughed. "You're right. Yours is bigger but I'll find an even bigger on next time.'' And just like AJ, he wasn't freaked out by the dead thing.

The third year watched AJ's random plant devour the rat then he threw his rat at the same plant. Which ate that in no time, too. "Hungry little thing, isn't it?'' Adi observed.

"Levitating is cool but throwing is better,'' Adi agreed. "I can teach you sometime if you want,'' he added as he reached for a piece of offal.

"I feel jipped that I haven't been apart of this my whole life." Sure, everybody technically started at Hogwarts at eleven, but could you imagine having magical parents and already knowing about this stuff? She might of had her very own rat eating magical plant at home and know the spells and really know anything about this world. Oh well, she was here now and that was all that really mattered. "The bigger ones have a better crunch." Maybe her rat as big boned. She would be digging for the biggest one as well when she ran out of rats.

"It seems that way." How many rats could one eat? Still not sure about all of the different names she continued to feed the plants randomly. Picking up another rat she bent down low and held the rat almost to the floor. She did a granny shot, like they do in basketball, and watched as the rat landed in yet another plant's mouth. How much did they eat anyways? There sure was a lot of people feeding them.

oh awesome he didn't have to risk his fingers. "this is so cool we get to feed meat to plants" but he totally had a question… Raising his hand "Professor… the meat.. does it have to be a certain type of meat… like is this beef or deer??" he was curious of the diet but maybe the plants didn't care what kind of meat it was as long as they were fed, ahahah just like Bay.

He walked up to the chest and took out a good sized portion as he thought he'd try tossing it in the bush's first. "so i just toss it?" he was starting to second guess his thought of throwing it. Oh well here he goes.

Bay tossed a piece of meat into the bush and saw it disappear "cool" he wondered how it got observed into the plant? like where their teeth everywhere, Bay was very interested to learn. Now was the time to go grab some more meat and feed some other plants.

Wait.

What?!

They were seriously going to feed these things?! Sophie listened as the professor rattled off a list of the plants they'd be feeding today. All she seemed to focus on were the words fanged, savage sword, piranha, throat-latching, and barbaric. O_O. Sounded promising.

She made a face at the dead rats. Ew. Nevertheless, she followed suit and went over to collect a bit of the 'feed'. She'd go with the levitation method. No way was she sticking her hand anywhere close to those things.

"Better late than never,'' Adi said wisely. "I knew about it but never got the experience until a couple of year ago.'' Well, obviously. That's when he turned eleven. "How would you know?'' the puffer asked, referring to the "crunch" statement. "You haven't eaten rat before, have you?'' Adi was teasing of course.

"Great shot!'' Adi said, quite impressed with AJ's throw. Was she into sports, too? The offal in his hand was quite small. Fit for a pygmy piranha, right? So he tossed it to one of that plant. It didn't land in the plant's mouth but at the base of it. The pygmy piranha gobbled it up in no time, anyway.

Oooookay, so which one first? She guessed 'neither of them' wasn't a good answer for the professor. She turned on her heels and looked down at the first plant she came to. Great. A throat-latching carnation. Just peachy.

Sophie made a face at it and took a few steps back for good measure. The levitation spell was one she at least wasn't too bad at. It was pretty easy, especially for a third year.

She held the meat in the palm of her gloved hand then pointed her wand toward it. "Wingardium Leviosa!" she said. The meat began to rise off her hand, which was prefect for Sophie. She didn't want to hold it no longer than she had to. She kept her eyes locked on it, though. She didn't want to drop it and imagined Bentley would have a fit if she did.

"You're right." She could still be at a boring muggle school writing lines. This was something that she never would have experienced anywhere else, and she was thankful for being one of the chosen ones. "At least you knew. It was a shock for me." But shocks could be good. She laughed at his response to the bone crunching. "Can't you hear it?" she said, teasing right back. There was a lot of commotion, but she could swear that she could hear a crunch coming from the plants.

"Thanks." AJ beamed as she decided on a hunk of meat this time. Hmmm... she wanted a go at the throat latcher one and decided to guess at which one that was. That one looked promising as she threw it overhand like a baseball this time. The plant gulped in down. It seemed like it just swallowed it whole.

Whatever bad mood Kevin had been in before class had started, it had seemed to have vanished in to thin air. He had also seen the wink that the Professor had send his way after he asked if the plants ate flesh and he grinned.

WAAAAAAAIT! They were actually going to FEED them!? Kevin looked at the Fanged Geranium at the back and he immediately wanted to walk towards it. However, he realised that he didn't have any food and he didn't want to offer his arm as food ...or a hand as the Professor had put it. He was all for risky stuff but losing a limb ? Even HE was not that stupid.

When his Head of House opened a trunk , Kevin took a step forward to look inside of it. He pinched his nose closed as the awful smell filled it. But after seeing the dead rats inside of it he looked up. This was officially the COOLEST lesson so far!

Eventhough they could use magic to feed the plants and Kevin knew he should be at least practising the levitating spell, he also thought that feeding the plants with his hands would be more adventurous.

With his gloved hands, the Gryffindor picked up 3 rats at once by their tails. He held them up in the air and got an idea for a prank as he looked at them. Buuuut....that would have to wait for later. He didn't want to get caught with the Professor standing so close. He learned from his mistakes...sometimes... He did have a question though before he walked away. "Which ones are the savage sword lilies?!" Because like the Fanged Geranium the Savage Sword Lilies had a cool name. It reminded him of the Gryffindor Sword. And yes, he was going straight to the dangerous plants to feed them.

Weigela and Chokeberry. Noted.

Feeding time? They're going to feed the plants? YESSSSSSSS. Candice was bouncing. Using magic? Yeah. Not going to happen. She's looking forward to this since Professor Bentley said about being eaten before they entered the greenhouse earlier, so she's going to use her hands. But then she remembered that she was using Kyroh's cloak. What if she accidentally stain the Ravenclaw's cloak? She just need to be careful then.

Candice went towards the chest and she was greeted by the awful smell of the meat. She took out the first meat she could grab. "One yummy meat coming up." Now she need to give this meat to one of pretty plants. Hmmm..

Glad to hear that his answer had been almost correct...but more importantly, hadn't been mentioned prior to him giving it, Cris wasn't even bothered to hear that their first task was to feed the plants. Despite the noticeable squirmish and slightly apprehensive looks the other students were giving, he was actually excited knowing that he would be facing the very jaws of danger...no pun intended.

As he waited for his turn to retrieve said food supply, Cris quickly slipped on his dragon hide gloves and when he got to the trunk, he reached in and, pulled out a dead rat. Dangling it by its tail, he walked it over to one of the Fanged Geraniums, and standing at a safe distance away, he tossed the tasty ratty morsel over to the flesh eater, just like how he would do when he was feeding their Siberian Huskies.

SNAP!! The plant reared its head, opened its mouth, reached for the oncoming rat and snapped shut over it. Not waiting to see what happened next, Cris headed back to the trunk for another tidbit.

So, yeah. Somehow he got that one right. Ethan thought he’d rather feed it with anything before it devours his precious digits…or him as a whole. So yes, something was good. Whatever that is. Onto feeding time! “Euuuuuuugh.” The Slytherin made a face as he picked up the tiniest dead rat by its tail. “I don’t know what sort of nutrients these plants will get from these dudes…” Ethan shrugged, deciding that dead rats are better than his own flesh being eaten.

The third year made his way towards a funny looking plant…the Barbaric thingamajig that looked like it has lots of eyes. Ethan chuckled at the sight of it. He stopped however when it started to move. “Yes. Right. Your food.” The stench of the dead rat must have stirred the appetite of the plant, and so without thinking twice, he tossed the dead rat in front of it. However, the plant just stooped down and ‘smelled’ the treat. “Err. There’s no way I will let you eat from my hand. Nu-uh.” He seemed like he has an IQ of a garden gnome, but he wasn’t that stupid. Ethan made a face, got his wand out and levitated the treat. “Wingardium Leviosa!” The dead rat hovered in front of the plant, and eventually ate its food. “Good plant!” Because that means, score for him!

The Barbaric Banksia opened its mouth and let out a burp. Ethan gave it a thumbs up, “You’re welcome!” turned around and wafted the air in front of his face—disgusted at the scent. “That thing’s breath is gonna stink for weeks…”

He understood he got the answer wrong from the professor sympathetic look. He grinned and shrugged sheepishly. He just wasn't really good with Herbology questions but he was better at the activities. The hands on things he was great at. Not much of a bookworm.

Kace understood what the professor asked. At least the most dangerous plants won't pose a threat to them. He didn't want to have his head bitten off or his hands for that matter. So they were going to feed them today? That was new. He heard the professor they were feeding the plants meat in this general area. Oh that shouldn't be TOO bad. He could use the levitating charm. That was a relief. He didn't want his hands being taken from him. You can't be too trusting with plants. He went up to the front and took a few pieces of meat to feed it.

He got his wand out and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" with a swish and flick and then the meat was levitating. He smiled and then hovered it towards the plants mouth and heard it chomp! Welp i guess that plant was hungry. Now onto find the other ones.

“I have brought thee, a gift for thy…er…royal…plantness.” Ethan standing away from the Fanged Geranium he chose, greeted it with a dramatic bow. It would have been better if he brought with him the lute he found in their common room and serenaded the plant.

“A delicious piece of offal, as an act of goodwill from…from…my specie.” He said as he gestured to his classmates. “Without further ado…Wingardium…Leviosa!” With a dramatic swish and flick of his wand, the piece of meat levitated from his hand and towards the plant.

CHOMP.

“Well, that’s kinda rude isn’t it?” Ethan placed his hands on his hips as he eyed the Fanged Geranium. “Oh yeah, you’re just a plant…” The Slytherin waved off the plant, turned around and went to feed another.

Feeding time? Oh yay not really. Jasmine was less than enthusiastic about this whole exercise. Don't get too close to the plants? Not a problem. Jasmine hadn't planned to get aaaaanywhere near them. She could feed them just fine from waaaay over here, thank you very much. Going over to the trunk, Jasmine chose small chunks of steak to feed her plant. Steak she could deal with, rats....she'd pass. Jasmine wasn't afraid of them or anything, but just....no.

Surveying her options, Jasmine decided to feed the savage sword lilies first. She'd try throwing the meat their way first. If that didn't work, there was always Plan B. Picking up a piece of steak, Jasmine addressed the plant. "Hi there Lily. Are you hungry? I've got a little snack for you." Was Jasmine hallucinating or did that plant seem to perk up at the mention of food?Taking aim with her piece of meat, Jasmine tossed the piece of meat to the plant. If she had blinked, she would have missed the whole thing. That plant snapped the meat up so fast, it was unbelievable. Staring in awe, Jasmine said, "I guess you were hungry." She proceeded to toss it several more pieces of meat and then stopped, not wanting the plant to be too full for the next person. "Which plant should I feed next?", Jasmine thought.